Continuing my feature of discovering independent businesses and finding out what drives someone to become their own boss, I caught up with Jenny Hudson, Chef Director and Founder, and Business Director Lucy Swindells from Sweet As.
Jenny and Lucy, Sweet As
I'd known about Sweet As for quite a few years and I've watched the business grow, from the first shop in Royal Leamington Spa followed by the shop in Kenilworth. I've been lucky enough to have tasted their signature chocolate cake. Words can not describe how incredibly chocolaty and indulgent it is. Having featured on a couple of TV shows and regularly making cakes for celebrities and royalty the time seemed right to meet with Jenny and Lucy to find out more about Sweet As. So over a coffee and a chocolate treat we talked about the past, the present and the future.
Where did the idea for Sweet As come from and how did you develop your idea?
Sweet As was started in 2005 by Jenny. Previously I had been working at top establishments including Claridges but I had always dreamed of having my own business in the Midlands which specialised in chocolate. I applied for a loan from the Princes Trust which allowed me to set up Sweet As. I started the business by supplying delis in Warwickshire as well as baking for family, friends and friends of these. In 2009 I joined forces with Lucy and together we started to expand Sweet As. It was always a dream of ours to have a shop. In 2009 this became a reality when a little retail gem became available in Royal Leamington Spa. It was perfect as it was situated in the heart of a thriving community.
Was it easy to set up your business?
Gaining the initial funds from the Princes Trust really helped and with hard work and dedication we got to the point of being able to open the Leamington shop. We knew the location was perfect but we were taken aback by how quickly it became established in just a few short months. It became apparent that we couldn’t cope with just the two of us, so we employed a couple of staff to assist. After a year we started to look for another shop within the Warwickshire area. We found our shop in Kenilworth which again was in a great location but gave us access to a new customer base.
What are the philosophies of Sweet As?
We are both passionate about chocolate and we feel that comes across to our customers. Excellent customer service from friendly staff who are knowledgeable about our products are key to our brand. We want to create exceptional products and provide customers with a great chocolate experience.
What is the USP of Sweet As?
Chocolate runs through our veins. Our USP is our unique chocolate creations that are made with the best quality ingredients. We also pride ourselves on the quality of our customer service provided by all members of the team.
Who would you say are your competitors?
Although 80% of the products produced are chocolate, we do produce non chocolate products. Around 90% of our wedding and birthday cake orders are for our specialty chocolate cake. We have a core product line of 50 items and these are offered on a seasonal basis to ensure we are offering customers a variety. We don’t feel we are competing against any other business, although there are now a few other cake shops in Leamington, we are confident that our products are unique. This all said we feel there is room for everyone and we all have our own USP.
What is your strategy for telling people about your business?
We’ve mentioned the TV shows that we have been lucky enough to be part of, but they don’t come along every day. We attend food fairs including the Leamington Peace Festival and Warwick’s Victorian Evening. We have to take into consideration the weather as chocolate doesn’t work well at a fair on a hot day. We also give demonstrations and talks at the local WI. This is something that Jenny did in the early days and still gets a great satisfaction from meeting new people and engaging them in the chocolate experience.
We use social media, including Twitter and Facebook and it’s great to be able to engage with customers and also to use these channels to entice new customers. As we have built a good customer base we also have our own newsletter which provides offers, support, recipes and classes. And of course there is our customers that come into the shop, which provides us with the opportunity to tell them about new products and initiatives.
What have been the highlights so far?
We’ve been lucky to have had some wonderful experiences. We were asked to bake a first anniversary cake for HRH Prince Charles and the Dutch of Cornwall. We have also baked a cake for Phillip Schofield’s 30 years in television, which we presented to him on the Alan Titmarsh show. We also represented the Midlands on the TV show Britian’s Best Bakery where we were pitted against three other bakeries. Sweet As were also featured on the Fabulous Baker Brothers TV show.
Jenny has been appointed as an ambassador for the Princes Trust and is passionate about business and entrepreneurship and enjoys mentoring young people who might be starting their own business. She was also chosen to work alongside the UK Female entrepreneurship Ambassadors to encourage women to start their own business.
We’ve also started our own pudding society at the Warwick Arms hotel in Warwick. We have been very focused on making this our own and not copying any other pudding society. Guests get a light dinner followed by five desserts including our signature chocolate trio. It provides another creative outlet for Jenny.
What does the future hold for Sweet As?
We’ve launched a second location for the Sweet As Pudding Society in Kenilworth. We are also expanding the type of cake classes that we offer to tap into the current appetite for home baking. A dream is to write a book which of course will have chocolate at its heart. To be fair there is always a list of what we would like to do next, which we think is a healthy view to have.
What would you say to someone who has a business idea and wants to set up
their own business?
You have to be passionate about what you want to set a business up in and have a good knowledge in the sector. Research, not just on your friends and family but get real view on what you intend to do.
You must be determined and hard working as you will work harder for yourself than you did for anyone else.
The milk and white ruffle cake as seen on Britain's Best Bakery
It's clear that chocolate does run through Jenny's veins and it certainly shows in the quality of her cakes. Even though she has been developing chocolate creations for the last eight years the ideas are still flowing. I was invited to sample the Sweet As Pudding Society at the Warwick Arms and it is definitely a must for chocolate lovers. I can't wait to see what develops next for Sweet As.
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